Quotes By Mughal Badshahs

Many of the Mughal Emperors have said some great lines on life from their experience of it. These have been translated and documented in many historical works. Some such lines are:  

“Like us many have spoken over this spring, but they were gone in the twinkling of an eye. We conquered the world with bravery and might, but we did not take it with us to the grave.”

- Babur, from “The Baburnama: memoirs of Babur, prince and emperor”, Wheeler McIntosh Thackston (2002)

 

Indu Sundaresan in her “The Twentieth Wife” points out that though Akbar was illiterate and could neither read nor write, he surrounded himself with cultured poets, authors, musicians, artisans and the most learned of people to rely on his remarkable memory during conversations with them. In the same strain, some quotes by him are-

“The world is a bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity; but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer for the rest is unseen.”

“A monarch should be ever intent on conquest, lest his neighbours rise in arms against him.”

“Most worshippers of God are intent on the advancement of their own destiny, not on His worship. In India, no one has ever claimed to be a prophet. The reason is that claims to divinity are customary.”

“Learning is a plant that grows in all climes.”

Jahangir has some famous lines attributed to him as well – 

“Generally the younger generation are not hard working. They will have to put in more effort to achieve results in tournaments. Most of them can perform well but they cannot deliver when they play abroad.”

“Every winning streak will have to end sometime.”

“Agar Firdaws ba roy-I zamin ast, hamin ast-u hamin ast-u hamin ast” (“If there is Paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this”) – About Kashmir

Another of the Mughal Emperors who has many quoted lines from history is Aurangzeb. They reveal his personal stances to a great extent as well.

“I have sinned terribly, and I do not know what punishment awaits me.”

“The demolition of a temple is possible at any time, as it cannot walk away from its place.”

-From “Eminent Historians: Their Technology, their Line, their Fraud”, Arun Shourie, 2014

“Wherefore should I not offer my congratulations? But the very fact of them being Sayyids, those fountains of felicity, demands heartily exertions in support of Islam and their ancestor Muhammad the Lord of Apostles. Let two Kaftans of honor for the two brothers be issued from my wardrobe and let them be sent with two swords, jewel-hilted and provided with pearl mounted belts, let Jamdat-ul-Mulk write much praise and congratulations when sending these presents.”

-From “Later Mughals: Volume II: 1719-1739”, William Irvine, 1922